When creating a document, a user may make references to content in other documents e.g. citations, quotes, computer code. For example, in source code development, a user may be viewing one document, such as one source file in a project, but that source file may also reference code from other documents. Academic and legal writings may include references to other documents that support or are otherwise relevant to a particular point being made by the author. Typically if a user wants to access one of the referenced documents, the user must manually locate and view the referenced document. For example, in a computer-based environment, the user may open the referenced document in a new window or tab. Similarly if the referenced document references still other documents, the process continues with the user opening additional documents in additional tabs or windows. This process is generally unwieldy. Automatic solutions may identify the referenced document, but still either require the entire referenced document to be viewed, or a section of the referenced document can be rendered in a pop-up window or by some other mechanism that does not embed the reference directly in the document. Although this may save the user time in retrieving the correct document, the user is still left with a cluttered, difficult to navigate, workspace that likely displays much more information than is relevant. Additionally, the user may not be able to make changes to referenced documents without opening each referenced document, leading to the same cluttered and difficult to manage environment.